Agriculture can go green

Agriculture can go green

Farmers should think globally, act locally on climate change

When it comes to grappling with environmental issues, agriculture isn’t all that different. The old environmental mantra of think globally, act locally is the best way to approach the impact of agriculture on climate change, say two experts from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Agriculture is projected to be the second most


Tillage reduction isn’t just about stopping wind and water erosion — it also keeps soil fungi at their most productive.

Fungi and tillage don’t mix well

Short-term gain will lead to long-term pain when it comes to tillage

Tillage might result in some sort-term gains, but soil scientist Jay Fuhrer warns that the practice causes long-term damage to healthy soil’s best friend — fungi. “One of the big components in there is the fungi, the fungi and its hyphae,” said Fuhrer, a conservationist with the United States Department of Agriculture. “What breaks up

(Dave Bedard photo)

Rush on to reverse U.S. tax boon for ag co-ops

Chicago | Reuters — Republican U.S. senators are working with some of the world’s biggest agricultural merchants to undo a last-minute provision in the tax overhaul that threatens to distort the grains market and starve private firms of corn, soy and wheat supplies. It was included during final revisions of the tax bill that passed



(AvenaFoods.com)

Prairie processors plan gluten-free partnership

A Saskatchewan firm processing gluten-free oats is pairing up with a Manitoba pulse miller to expand Prairie producers’ space in the certified gluten-free market. Portage la Prairie-based Best Cooking Pulses and Regina-based Avena Foods on Monday announced a new partnership agreement they say will boost cross-selling and market penetration. Financial terms of the partnership, which


Lawrence MacAulay, the federal agriculture minister, recently spoke to U.S. farm groups in support of NAFTA.

MacAulay takes case for NAFTA to U.S. farmers

He’s the first Canadian minister to speak to the nearly 
100-year-old organization

Lawrence MacAulay’s speech in support of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was well received by an estimated 5,000 people attending the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee Jan. 7. The bureau, the United States’ largest farm organization, also supports NAFTA. “My message to you this morning is the Government of

Editorial: Future farms

What will the farm of tomorrow look like? There’s certainly no end of opinions on offer when that question gets asked. Will the average Prairie farm become a massive undertaking, measured in tens of thousands of acres, wired in every corner to harness the power of big data? That’s certainly one possibility, and if history


Canadian food buyers are a complex lot, according to a newly released survey of them. PHOTO: CREATIVE COMMONS/LEFTOVERTURE

Reaching consumers a complicated challenge for the agri-food sector

Consumers are tribal these days, which makes talking to them tough

Farmers and food companies striving to better connect with consumers need to prepare for dealing with a diverse audience, says the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI). “There is no single consumer group,” the centre says in a report on its 2017 Public Trust Survey on public attitudes on food issues. “Today’s consumers are diverse,